Can Ferrara keep the Double-A Cards afloat?

Wednesday night: The playoff hopes for the Springfield Cardinals went from dim to desperate on Wednesday night, with a loss to the North Division-leading Travelers. Springfield is four games behind Arkansas with five games to play in the season’s second half. A loss tonight to Arkansas in the series finale would mathematically eliminate the reigning Texas League-champion Cardinals from the postseason.

Key performances: C.J. Cron snapped a 1-all tie in the third inning with a two-run home run off Zach Petrick for the Travelers. Ruben Gotay had two hits and Xavier Scruggs drove in the only run for Springfield.

About Kary Booher

Kary Booher covers the Springfield Cardinals and small colleges for the News-Leader. A native of southern Kansas, he is a graduate (and former sports editor of student newspapers) of Cowley County (Kan.) Community College and Oklahoma State University. You also may have read his work on the sports pages in Topeka and Pittsburg in Kansas and Jackson, Tenn., or once saw him in his youth water-skiing on Table Rock Lake near the Kimberling City bridge.